


I've Got the World On a String (what a world, what a life)

by lechatnoir



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, M/M, incredibles!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-08
Updated: 2014-04-17
Packaged: 2018-01-18 14:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1431835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lechatnoir/pseuds/lechatnoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Incredibles!AU in which there are Sentinels, Charles and Erik are retired superheroes by the name of "X" and "Magneto", and their three kids are Lorna, Wanda and Pietro. Shaw makes an appearance, and so does Emma Frost. Also Moira's head of the game with their costumes, and somewhere down the line this could either be quite the family bonding experience, or a rather horrifying turn of events.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which there are News Stories and Food Fights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kageillusionz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kageillusionz/gifts).



> because kageillusionz had a wonderful anon and well, Incredibles!AU, what can possibly go wrong? 
> 
> you can find me on tumblr @ chrysanthemumskies !

i.

Erik Lehnsherr (otherwise known as “Magneto” ) had a preference for red and violet outfits with capes.   
(Lots and lots of capes. Various capes of all sizes and shades of red which had Moira tearing her hair out at his (horrendous) fashion choices)  
Because capes were possibly one of the most greatest things ever, and it did in fact, increase his cool factor by 110%, as the online polls showed the week after he had put on quite the show with taking down some Sentinels who had gone haywire, attacking and destroying everything in sight. 

Luckily, at least, they were made of metal. 

Still, that had been approximately fifteen years ago and Erik Lehnsherr was now retired, working as an engineer with wires and circuit boards and all that jazz, snapping away at unsuspecting and underqualified interns who _had_ potential but didn’t have enough brain power to think outside of the box, to think of extravagant ideas that would essentially lead to the future of the world – wait wait no sorry – the future of well technology. 

(Which would also change the world)

(Which would also be helpful to mutants, and of course, world peace and all that jazz that Charles seemed to always rant about)

_‘I can hear you, Erik. ‘_

Oops. 

He was also married to one Charles Xavier - who was simply known as “X”, although the news tabloids had a fondness for tacking on the word “Professor” beforehand, and it was often times that he was simply referred to as “Professor X “ – one very powerful telepathic mutant who seemed to know where he was at all times, at any given point in the day. Needless to say, they were content with their lives of being retired superheroes, spending their days doing mundane, civilian sort of things, like teaching genetics at the local university while also taking care of their three kids, Wanda, Pietro and Lorna and getting through the day without someone getting accidentally stabbed or the kitchen set on fire. 

(Really, it’s a wonder how they’ve managed to stay low for this long) 

ii. 

It happens on a terribly boring day, when the sun is shining and the television is tuned in to the news channel that Erik hears about the sudden influx of crimes, how tensions between mutants and humans are coming to a rise, how there are protests and petitions being started for a Mutant Register Act, with every single mutant being profiled and documented and registered and he thinks back to Germany and the camps and thinks that this is a disaster waiting to happen and he _has_ to do _something_ and it’s as if he’s a jack rabbit about to bolt through the doorway until he feels a pair of arms wrap around his legs and it’s Lorna with her vivid green hair looking up at him with a smile that brightens up her face and it’s far too cute – 

(Not that he’d ever admit that) 

\- For him not to grin back at her and sweep her up in his arms and spins her in the air by the little metal buttons on her overalls which makes her shriek in delight and suddenly he’s pushed out of the way by a blur but he can tell by the zippers on Pietro’s pants that it’s him (besides, he’s the only one who can run around like that and make it seem as if he never moved in the first place even though of course he did, he’s _Pietro_ and that boy could never seem to stop running in the first place) and there’s a huff of annoyance that escapes him as he’s pushed onto the couch and Pietro finally comes to a skidding halt in front of him.   
“Didn’t we say no running in the house Pietro?” Erik asks, voice calm and teeth pointy. 

(Like a shark) 

And really, Pietro knows better but he can’t help it sometimes. 

“Yeah but dad I – “ 

“No “buts” about it, Pietro. What if I hadn’t had control over Lorna and she fell and bashed her head on the table. What then?” 

“Erik, how many times do I have to tell you not to traumatize your son with violent imagery of the potential bodily harm of one of his siblings?” Charles’ voice rang from the hallway as he and Wanda made their way inside the house - 

(Mansion, really) – 

And set down the groceries that they had brought up (which Pietro had forgotten about because he was far too excited to tell Erik something) on the kitchen counter and all Erik could do was smile sheepishly and reach out to pull Pietro close and ruffled his hair. 

“Sorry kid. What was it that you wanted to tell me?” 

Perking up, Pietro grinned and said “I outran Papa _and_ Wanda today and Papa said if my grades are good enough then I can probably join the local track team down at the youth center in the city!” 

“Really now? That’s wonderful Pietro. Soon enough you’ll have to get the groceries and run _all_ the errands around the house. “ Erik said with a slap on the back to Pietro who could only let out a groan of annoyance in response. 

“Erik, do shut up - ” Charles muttered before tossing a loaf of bread at him – “And make yourself useful by putting away the groceries.” 

“I never would have thought for you to be such a snippy professor Charles. Are you sure your cardigans aren’t actually adding up the years on you? Maybe you’re actually quite old and wrinkly underneath that face of yours.”   
Charles could only sputter before huffing and muttering under his breath “My cardigans are perfectly comfortable, thank you very much. Though I think I heard the floorboards creak the other day when you were coming down for breakfast, or was that just your old knees acting up again Erik?” 

It was Erik’s turn to grin and toss a cucumber at Charles who let out a (undignified) squawk and ducked beneath the pantry before said cucumber could make any contact with his (lovely) hair and really now, they were too _old_ for this. 

“Do you think we should maybe help them?” Wanda whispered, as she sat down next to Lorna on the couch and Pietro settled down on the other side of her, both of them holding Lorna up so she could watch their parents essentially have a food fight in the kitchen with the groceries that they had just spent the last two hours scavenging for. 

Pietro could only shake his head and grin “Nah” before bolting and coming back with a camera and then proceeded to take pictures.

It was only until Charles had managed to get a hand full of flour tossed at him (effectively making him sputter and cough ) that he noticed the subtle snaps of what could only be a camera going off and it was the calm, collected voice of one Charles Xavier who said “Oh _Erik_ , it seems we’ve got ourselves some competition. It would certainly be such a _shame_ for the kids to be left out, now wouldn’t it?” 

And suddenly the three giggling kids on the couch went awfully quiet as Pietro and Wanda both scrambled to get the camera as far away from their parents as humanly possible, all while ducking for cover as a handful of flour made its way towards them and Lorna was watching quietly as her two siblings squealed and dashed off, grabbing her with them and it was Wanda who had grinned and handed her to Pietro who had promptly dashed off while holding Lorna tightly on his shoulders and suddenly she was queen of the world.

(or well, as much as her two year old mind comprehended the terms ‘royalty’ and ‘world dominance’ , which to say, would be quite small) 

While Pietro had Lorna, Wanda had said culprit of the crime of blackmail, which was to say she had one very metal camera and it was her unfortunate luck that she got stuck with Erik chasing her around the kitchen and Charles had gone after Pietro and Lorna so maybe they had a little bit of luck on their side with Pietro’s speed coming in handy and really she wasn’t too fond of using her mutation, not since it glitches and she didn’t want to hurt Erik because he was her _dad_ , so instead she lunged for the nearest thing next to her, which just so happened to be a lemon. 

Which is how Erik had ended up working himself up more than he expected to be worked up, and that was how he managed to wave a white flag of defeat while Wanda grinned triumphant before a pair of hands plucked the camera out of her hands and one grinning Charles Xavier looked at her and exclaimed “I win!” before mussing up her hair and tugging her along with him as he settled down rather unceremoniously on top of Erik who could only mutter a half hearted “Get off of me” before wrapping an arm around Charles who had piled Wanda, Pietro and Lorna on top of himself so in reality it was Erik who was being used as a couch rather than the couch itself. 

(But it was okay because Erik would turn and press a kiss to the side of Charles’ head and they’d be warm and content and there would be a general air of giddiness and calm and that was just how they wanted it to be, all those years ago when they decided to step away from the spotlight and move on with their lives) 

 

iii.  
It was in those sort of quiet moments that Erik remembers why he doesn’t go out and fight crime, why he doesn’t try to put on the persona of Magneto (even though he knows that Magneto and “Erik Lehnsherr” are very much interchangeable and are one and the same) why he thinks that he doesn’t want to get involved in the protests and riots that are broadcasted on the t.v. and he thinks that he should want to move onwards, that he should want to actively participate, but there’s a quiet tiredness that creeps into his bones in the quiet hours of the early morning and sometimes he doesn’t even realize that he’s worrying so much, until it’s Charles who sleepily asks what’s the matter and Erik kisses his lips gently before telling him to go back to sleep and he lies awake counting numbers in his head. 

Sometimes the silence gets too quiet for him, and he feels the familiar pull of the metal works that call and dance to him, and he thinks about the news headlines and the flash of the cameras and he never really liked the idea of fame and being well known, but he _did_ enjoy making some sort of difference, and sometimes he thinks about the office that he’s in and while sure, he’s helping society move forward and advance on the technological front, it’s not the same thing.

Maybe it’s because he’s reminded of the time that he met Charles, when they had worked together from the get go and it was Charles who had intrigued him and somehow managed to charm him with nothing but a smile and a flick of the wrist and really now, it was unfair of him . Maybe, a small part of him just wants the adrenaline kick, of using his powers to tear up and shake things up but also to just kick some ass and save the day. 

(It’s totally not because he wants to wear his totally rad costume, with the helmet and the cape. You know, that one. 

The one that Charles and Moira have been secretly trying to burn because dear god that was a crime to fashion everywhere and who the hell let Erik wear magenta and violet in a combo together. 

Not that Erik would ever have to know that Charles had secretly wanted to burn that thing the moment he had seen it. 

It’s not like Charles couldn’t appreciate a good look before wanting to tear that hideous costume apart, and it wasn’t like Erik was a bit puzzled about the cardigans that Charles felt adamant on wearing, and even he could appreciate them before wanting to tear them off of Charles. 

You know, just the everyday normal field that they did, together, on a near daily basis.

With the occasional kiss and shag when the cameras weren’t watching.)


	2. Dragging Threads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a race to get measured by the kitchen doorway, and there are old nightmares that haunt Erik.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is sleep, also i've been listening to Now Now's 'Threads' album while clacking away at this at 2 in the morning sO; 
> 
> you can find me on tumblr under 'chrysanthemumskies' uvu

i.

The minutes drag into hours, the hours gradually build up into days, the days stretch out into the weeks, and the weeks slowly pile up to make a month, which then, the months blurred into each other, and suddenly another year had passed. They had kept photographs, lots of them. And all around their home there were the tell tale signs of life humming about what would have otherwise been an old and lifeless mansion if they had never met and Charles hadn’t dragged Erik and Raven along, and they hadn’t taken in Wanda and Pietro and Lorna and things would have been much duller if all those things never happened.  
And what a shame, that sometimes Erik wakes up in cold sweat in the dead of the night and it is shallow breathes and it’s the faint smell of old worn pages in the books that litter the bookshelves next to the bed that drift up to him and it’s the faint presence of Charles sleepily hovering along his surface thoughts and there’s a shaky breath that exhales out of him before he blinks and stares at the ceiling and counts to ten and wonders why he can’t sleep until Charles moves against him and mutters half asleep half awake – 

“Go to sleep Erik, I’ll keep you company.” – 

And really, it’s like Charles is an army of one that keeps the nightmares far away from the shores of his mind and he nods quietly and lets the night wash over him, lets the gentle hum of the metal that courses through the house lull him to sleep, lets Charles come close and slip into his mind like a warm soothing presence and he thinks that they are safe and they will be safe and no one will ever hurt them, not even the old ghosts that haunt him at times and it seems as if they’ll drag him down into the depths of the sea.

 _You’re not alone._  
 _You are safe._

(And for once, he lets himself believe in those words.)

ii. 

Erik had started to count the years with the penciled in height marks of the kids by the kitchen doorway, little grey lines that seemed to zigzag and form their own sort of pattern this way and that, hastily scribbled down in between hurried breakfasts and bagged lunches, with pajama-clad feet that had skidded across the floors and it was the distant hum of ‘me first me first me first’ at 7:30 in the morning on a Monday night after the twins’ had turned 15 and you would think that they’d grow out of the habit of trying to race each other down the stairs because really now, nine out of ten times it’s Pietro who stumbles in half asleep but still managing to be coherently awake enough to skid past his sister and line himself up against the wall, fidgeting slightly from one foot to another as he mumbles , bouncing slightly – ‘C’mon c’mon c’mon c’mon!’ and grins when Erik rolls his eyes and takes out the measuring tape and places another dash across the white frame of the kitchen doorway and it’s perfectly okay because Pietro grew by a _quarter_ of an inch which makes him approximately three inches reaching Wanda’s height and that’s all that matters to him really even as Lorna makes her way down the stairs with Wanda following her, hair disheveled and curls going out of control, and Lorna bumps into Pietro, still half asleep and ends up pushing him out of the way and it should annoy him but he just pats her on the head and says “Let’s see how big Lorna-bear’s gotten , yeah?” –

And it’s Pietro and Wanda who take the pencil and tape measure from Erik’s hands and steady Lorna and measure her height and let out a collective crow of delight when they point and mark down Lorna’s _new_ height (of growing a whooping half an inch taller!) and really they’re far too loud for 7:30 in the morning but it’s worth the smiles on their faces, when they’re not all bickering and tearing each other’s hairs out, and it’s worth the chaos of the day that occurs when they collectively realize that they’re going to be late to school and dash off (speed walk is more like it) to catch the bus that takes them to school and it’s Erik who sees them off with a wave and a shark tooth grin as Lorna waves them goodbye and it’s good, it’s safe.

It’s home. 

(It’s worth it when he presses a kiss to Lorna’s cheek and mutters ‘Let’s go wake up dad, yeah?’ and Lorna claps her hands and nods and they tip toe up the stairs and it’s Lorna who pounces on one very groggy and half asleep Charles who mumbles something along the lines of ‘who’s there?’ and receives a very _terrifying_ roar from one very ferocious Lorna-bear and of course Charles knew they were coming, telepath and all, but even Charles Xavier enjoyed a bit of relaxation and laziness when the moment presented itself. 

It’s enough to make Erik laugh – that one laugh that manages to fill the entire room – when Charles jumps up out of bed as if he was scared out of his wits due to one very ferocious bear and Lorna stares and stares until she bursts into a fit of giggles and Charles scoops her up and presses a kiss to her cheek before humming and muttering - “Oh dear look at the time, Erik, aren’t you going to be late?” – and really Erik would like to stay here, stay home and look after Lorna and maybe even drag Charles back under the covers and maybe take a nap because they both know that he’s not sleeping well but he sighs and rubs the back of his neck before leaning over to kiss Charles on the lips chastely and stepping away with a hum and an annoyed huff of “I’d rather not go you know.” 

And it’s Charles who rolls his eyes and looks at Lorna who grips his old t-shirt and says “C’mon then Lorna bear, time to get some food so you can terrorize the other children at the park!” 

“Charles what are you – “

“What’s that Lorna bear, there’s a nosy old wind whistling? Well, I guess we should open the window, let the old fart out, right? Can’t have it stinking up the place now can we?” Charles grinned before making his way out of their room and down into the kitchen where he bustled about, sat Lorna down in her highchair and put on the kettle as Erik grumbled and tripped over socks and discarded shirts and got dressed for the day, suit and tie and pants that looked presentable enough to suffer through another board meeting about some sort of project that involved lots of metalwork and something about stockers and investors and other things that he could honestly care less about. 

“I am not an old fart, Charles.” He muttered, jumping slightly to fix the rogue sock that had decided not to be put on properly but instead had shifted this way and that which had been quite the nuisance in Erik trying to hurry up and get out of the house but also a helpful little delay of the inevitable meeting of doom that he was trying to avoid as much as possible. 

“Really now? What with how you’re grumbling about your job, I would have figured you were an old grouchy old fart who had nothing else to complain about.” 

Came the reply from the kitchen as Charles makes himself a cup of tea and turns to the stove to make breakfast for himself and Lorna (who’s too occupied by her dinosaur toys that are currently in some sort of dramatic reenactment of what probably would be Romeo and Juliet. Or maybe they were just smooshing their plastic faces together, with how Lorna was babbling about with the toys, as if they were discussing some sort of important business matter of their own.) and it’s the sound of eggs being cracked against the edge of a frying pan as he sets about the task of making scrambled eggs and toast.

Erik could only roll his eyes in response and mutter “Says the professor of genetics and mutant and human evolution. I still think the cardigans are secretly adding on years to you and that you’re probably a vampire who isn’t aging because secretly you’ve been preying on the souls of innocent children for their blood which is why it’s in my best interests that I stay home with Lorna – to keep an eye on you.” Charles could only choke on his tea and laugh and it was enough for Erik to hum and step closer – press a kiss to Lorna’s head before nuzzling into Charles’ neck and pressing a warm kiss to the skin that was warm and soft and felt like home. 

 

“C’mon then Erik, you’ll be late” Charles spoke, voice quiet and soft against the sound of eggs being cooked and it felt like time was slowly slipping through their hands the longer they dragged out the inevitable mountain of work that they had to do, all in a day’s time. 

It’s the quiet hum of the morning and the sizzling of eggs as Charles adds a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper and it’s Erik who wraps his arms around Charles’ waist and leans his head against Charles’ shoulder for a few moments, until Charles turns off the stove and divides the scrambled eggs and toast between himself and Lorna (setting hers aside for a few minutes to cool down ) and it’s Erik who slowly pulls away and presses a kiss to Charles’ lips before disentangling himself from Charles and it’s probably the possibility of Charles threatening to smack him with the frying pan that sends him out of the kitchen and off to work with a scoff on his face as he grins his shark grin and kisses Lorna on the forehead and dashing off, yelling something about being back early from work. 

And yet, even Charles could read that something was bothering Erik, it was small and minuet, but it still seemed to cause him some sort of worry. 

_Erik? Are you alright? You seem to be a bit worried and tense._

_Nothing Charles, it’s nothing. It’s just been a while since I’ve been away from Lorna for a while after she got sick last time._

_You have nothing to fear Erik, we’re perfectly safe and sound and we’ll still be here when you return from work._

There’s a pause between them before Charles adds 

_Besides, it’s not like the world’s going to end anytime soon._

 

(And oh, how he miscalculated that last bit.)


End file.
